Arsenal

[Chicog]

Do keep up carmine....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/10599389/Arsenal-sign-Puma-deal-worth-30-million-a-year-as-replacement-kit-supplier-for-Nike.html

[SantiSuk]

Premier League points table for 2014 (the table does not include relegated and promoted clubs)

P

W

D

L

GD

Pts

Manchester City

38

27

7

4

56

88

Chelsea

38

27

7

4

55

88

Liverpool

38

23

7

8

31

76

Arsenal

38

20

10

8

19

70

Manchester United

38

19

9

10

25

66

Tottenham

38

20

6

12

6

66

Southampton

38

18

8

12

19

62

Everton

38

16

8

14

7

56

West Ham

38

17

5

16

6

56

Stoke

38

14

10

14

0

52

Swansea

38

14

7

17

2

49

Crystal Palace

38

11

12

15

-9

45

Sunderland

38

10

14

14

-13

44

Newcastle

38

12

6

20

-27

42

Aston Villa

38

10

9

19

-26

39

West Brom

38

8

12

18

-19

36

Hull

38

7

9

22

-22

30

Calendar year 2014 table, courtesy of Beeb Sport website.

Whichever way you cut it Arsenal finish 4th Not many surprises elsewhere either. Edit D@mn - that formatted ok when I cut and paste it into the reply text box!

Edited December 31, 2014 by SantiSuk

[smokie36]

Unhappy New Year you dirty rats! Hehe

[SantiSuk]

Thanks Smokie. Actually I'm rather hopeful of being less unhappy about Arsenal in 2015.

[SantiSuk]

Good team Southampton. I will be pleased if we get anything out of the game given we don't have a recognised striker playing and no height in attack. Going to have to walk any goals in or hit them from midfield. Southampton can almost guarantee that the only threat coming down the wings will be from cut-back balls

[SantiSuk]

The clown in Sczesny reemerges, One down.

[SantiSuk]

Think I'll leave Chicog to put a positive spin on that. Even I'm sick of my moaning

[alfieconn]

Looking forward to hearing from Claude

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[smokie36]

That's another fine mess Santi got him into!

[SantiSuk]

Looking forward to hearing from Claude

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

"they defended better than us in the final third ... we gave away two bad goals ... their goalkeeper kept them in it with some good saves ... that was the difference today".

No comment!

Edited January 2, 2015 by SantiSuk

[carmine]

With the stick given to him by so many Arsenal fans i really don't know why Wenger doesn't tell you to stick it!! The fans owe him a debt that can never be repaid and they just trash him every time you don't win. Unbelievable this air of entitlement that oozes from the new Library.

Happy New Year lads.

[alfieconn]

Looking forward to hearing from Claude

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Yes, here he is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i687vQkBOGE

Happy New Year Claude

[smokie36]

Think I'll have a look at Piers Morgan's twitter account....always good after a defeat.

[SantiSuk]

With the stick given to him by so many Arsenal fans i really don't know why Wenger doesn't tell you to stick it!! The fans owe him a debt that can never be repaid and they just trash him every time you don't win. Unbelievable this air of entitlement that oozes from the new Library.

Happy New Year lads.

Nothing to do with short term results Carmine. They are just the catalyst for an underlying unease and more. You can call it entitlement, but I think that ambition is the more appropriate word. I expect a club like Arsenal, with its history and resources to have the ambition to target being a top 5 side in Europe. Yes - it's true that Wenger built those resources but that does not entitle him to be the man to take us forward until he drops.

The club started failing to push on about three years ago, when there was this ridiculous notion that you have to pay the stadium down to a very low level of debt at the expense of the acquisitions budget. The parsimony has continued and is in danger of pushing the capability to advance to a new level out of sight.

Has been an outstanding boss and is still a good one in many respects. But the flaws, which I won't go into in detail here, have outweighed the benefits. Yes all you other fans will celebrate the discord within the firmament of the club, just like competitors in business celebrate when an old and venerated but faded business CEO is passed over, only to find that the replacement or his successor (it's true that a change is not always immediately effective) is hailed as a 'godsend for a business that was stuttering' a few years later.

As we have seen, any big club's fans complain when their season goes awry and they don't see things getting better. Your sense of disbelief comment is just clannish hostility.

[carmine]

With the stick given to him by so many Arsenal fans i really don't know why Wenger doesn't tell you to stick it!! The fans owe him a debt that can never be repaid and they just trash him every time you don't win. Unbelievable this air of entitlement that oozes from the new Library.

Happy New Year lads.

Nothing to do with short term results Carmine. They are just the catalyst for an underlying unease and more. You can call it entitlement, but I think that ambition is the more appropriate word. I expect a club like Arsenal, with its history and resources to have the ambition to target being a top 5 side in Europe. Yes - it's true that Wenger built those resources but that does not entitle him to be the man to take us forward until he drops.

The club started failing to push on about three years ago, when there was this ridiculous notion that you have to pay the stadium down to a very low level of debt at the expense of the acquisitions budget. The parsimony has continued and is in danger of pushing the capability to advance to a new level out of sight.

Has been an outstanding boss and is still a good one in many respects. But the flaws, which I won't go into in detail here, have outweighed the benefits. Yes all you other fans will celebrate the discord within the firmament of the club, just like competitors in business celebrate when an old and venerated but faded business CEO is passed over, only to find that the replacement or his successor (it's true that a change is not always immediately effective) is hailed as a 'godsend for a business that was stuttering' a few years later.

As we have seen, any big club's fans complain when their season goes awry and they don't see things getting better. Your sense of disbelief comment is just clannish hostility.

You have your opinion. I have mine. Mine says its disrespectful and disgraceful behavior by clueless plastic fans.

But then again, i might be biased.

[Chicog]

Good god I find myself agreeing with a tiny totts fan.

[SantiSuk]

Disrespect? Is he a monk, or royalty?

[Patriot]

Santi: who would you like to see as his replacement?

[smokie36]

Santi: who would you like to see as his replacement?

Christian Gross.

[Chicog]

Or Juande 'we'll win the league' Ramos

[carmine]

Disrespect? Is he a monk, or royalty?

Considering he was largely responsible for payment of the stadium he could be whatever he wants i'd have thought.

[carmine]

Think I'll have a look at Piers Morgan's twitter account....always good after a defeat.

He'll pipe down i reckon if he gets done for phone hacking.

[SantiSuk]

Precisely my point. Justifications for Wengers continuation in the role are always about yesterday - not today and never tommorrow.

You lot would make rotten businessmen!

[smokie36]

Precisely my point. Justifications for Wengers continuation in the role are always about yesterday - not today and never tommorrow.

You lot would make rotten businessmen!

Job for life!!

[SantiSuk]

Routine win. Hull were poor so it was also rather dull. Dull is ok when the other side only forces you to play well witin yourself.

[Chicog]

I was wondering what you were going to have a moan about this time.

[jellydog]

I was wondering what you were going to have a moan about this time.

I'll help out...Campbell's and Walcott's finishing.

[Chicog]

Neither have had much game time so I'm not surprised.

[SantiSuk]

Stan is planning mega bucks to develop an 80,000 seater NFL stadium in LA to bring the (now St Louis) Rams American football franchise back to Los Angeles. Plus a performance/concert stadium of 6,000 seats. I wonder if that has any impact on his thoughts about his football investment in London?! He is one of the least disruptive American owners (no divis taken, no loan bollux) so in a way I hope hope doesn't sell out, even though he seems to know little about the beautiful game.

In other news looks like Podolski is on the move to Juventus for a short term loan - presumably with a view to a sale. Can't help feeling a little bit disappointed he hasn't been allowed to justify his 12 million purchase price. He doesn't fit the Wenger mould - doesn't track back and not a good 90 minute player, but still an effective last 30 minute sub who rarely even got that. On the other hand he was a desperation purchase in the goodbye to vanP saga and he helped to keep us in our top 4 favoured position over the previous two seasons. Good move by Juve to get him on loan I would think.

I see rumours that Sceszney was f***ing around in the dressing room after his stylish (not) performance against Southampton. Rumours say he will not only be fined 20 grand but dropped for the rest of the season. Must have really pi$$ed the boss off! Shame - I thought he was getting better, but if we wanted to be a top 5 European club he has to be replaced anyway within the next year. Does ok but loses you a couple of games every season. I think he may have been part of the overall defensive lack of confidence thing - can't be too comfortable for the back 4 never knowing whether he is coming, coming too far or staying. Not sure I believe the rumour about the dropping unless Wenger already has an iron pretty well planted in the fire (Cech?).

As with all things Arsenal we will probably only ever know what's really happening when Arsene writes his memoir. Hope he doesn't last so long he dies in post

[alfieconn]

I see rumours that Sceszney was f***ing around in the dressing room after his stylish (not) performance against Southampton. Rumours say he will not only be fined 20 grand but dropped for the rest of the season. Must have really pi$$ed the boss off! Shame - I thought he was getting better, but if we wanted to be a top 5 European club he has to be replaced anyway within the next year. Does ok but loses you a couple of games every season. I think he may have been part of the overall defensive lack of confidence thing - can't be too comfortable for the back 4 never knowing whether he is coming, coming too far or staying. Not sure I believe the rumour about the dropping unless Wenger already has an iron pretty well planted in the fire (Cech?).

Most certainly a knob of the highest order, needs to grow up and start behaving in a more professional manner